System for converting flatbed to lowside trailers

ABSTRACT

A series of wooden stakes each has a bracket mechanically secured thereto one at each of the opposite ends of the stake. The bracket includes a base and two laterally offset flanges which are spaced sufficiently from the stake to form a pocket for receiving the edges of panels between adjacent spaced stakes. The bracket includes at the upper end a cylinder welded thereto for receiving a bow which is positioned with one end in each of the oppositely facing stakes at opposite sides of the bed. At the rear of the trailer are two corner stakes each with a bracket having a flange adapted to receive a panel at the side of the flatbed and a transverse second flange for holding upright a panel at the end of the bed. The stakes, with the exception of the corner stakes, are interchangeably positionable at either side of the flatbed.

United States Patent Case SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING FLATBED TO LOWSIDE TRAILERS [76] Inventor: Oran L. Case, 269 S. Roberts Ave., Lima, Ohio 45804 [22] Filed: July 10, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 269,992

[52] U.S. Cl 296/36, 52/282, 296/43, 296/104 [51] Int. Cl B62d 33/00 [58] Field of Search 296/10, 12, 28 M, 36, 43, 296/104; 105/378, 380; 280/143; 52/282, 464, 483

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 921,163 5/1909 Rhoads 52/464 1,170,659 2/1916 Morris t 52/282 X 1,402,146 l/1922 Davis 296/43 X 1,803,390 5/1931 .Howard 1 52/483 X 2,565,746 8/1951 Turner 296/104 2,823,066 2/1958 Maxson 296/29 2,924,638 2/1960 Feketics 52/282 X 3,126,224 3/1964 Carter ct a1. 296/28 M 3,692,354 9/1972 Tuerk 296/36 Primary ExaminerRobert .1. Spar Assistant Examiner-Leslie J. Paperner Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John A. Young [5 7 ABSTRACT A series of wooden stakes each has a bracket mechanically secured thereto one at each of the opposite ends of the stake. The bracket includes a base and two laterally offset flanges which are spaced sufficiently from the stake to form a pocket for receiving the edges of panels between adjacent spaced stakes. The bracket includes at the upper end a cylinder welded thereto for receiving a bow which is positioned with one end in each of the oppositely facing stakes at opposite sides of the bed. At the rear of the trailer are two corner stakes each with a bracket having a flange adapted to receive a panel at the side of the flatbed and a transverse second flange for holding upright a panel at the end of the bed. The stakes, with the exception of the corner stakes, are interchangeably positionable at either side of the flatbed.

5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING FLATBED TO LOWSIDE TRAILERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the transportation of steel and other such cargo on flatbed trucks, by tractor-trailer means, it is required that the sides of the trailer be equipped with racks consisting of a number of spaced upright stakes received in pockets at the sides of the trailer. Panels are received in and supported by adjacent upright stakes thereby forming sidewalls. A number of bows then extend between the sides of the flatbed by mounting one end into each of the upper sections of oppositely facing stakes and thereby making a support frame for a tarpaulin or other protective covering which forms a protective canopy, covering the load.

When needed, panel sections of the rack can be easily and readily removed to inspect the load during transport.

What is further needed, is a series of stakes which are relatively inexpensive since, inevitably, some of the load imposes a sidewise thrust on the stake to bend or break it. If the stake is all metal and is bent it is generally required to discard it rather than make repairs, since the cost of repairs is almost prohibitive.

What the art needs is a strong and durable rack which is made up of a number of inexpensive stakes and removable panels, received in upright position between adjacent stakes to make sidewalls or racks with a protective canopy for the load.

An important requirement in the rack construction is the ability to remove one or more panels.

For maximum economy in producing a rack, it is also necessary to have the stakes standardized as much as possible so that they can be used interchangeably with other stakes and regardless of the stake position on the flatbed of the trailer.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a new and improved stake construction in making a rack for the flatbed of trailers used in hauling steel and the like.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive stake which can be of standard construction, can fit interchangeably with other stakes of the rack and can be used with any number of different size and construction of flatbed trailers so long as the stake will fit into the socket of the flatbed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stake which is inexpensive in construction and which, in the event of breakage, can be readily replaced with another stake of the same standard size and configuration.

A further object of the present application is to produce a novel and inexpensive rack construction which can be readily assembled and disassembled either to entirety or partially in order to provide adequate cover for loads such as steel and the like, such cover being both at the sides and ends of the trailer.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a semi tractor-trailer showing the rack partially assembled and in an exploded view;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the bracket and stake with a portion of the panel in place, the sectional view being taken on line 22 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of the upper end of the stake;

FIG. 4 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 44 in FIG. 3; but with one end of a bow added;

FIG. 5 is an isometric detail view showing in exploded positions, the panel and bow prior to insertion within the stake;

FIG. 6 is the same as FIG. 5 after the panel and bow are assembled in the manner and direction illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates in perspective view the rear of the truck showing an exploded view of the assembly of the panels and stakes, a part of the rear panel being broken away to illustrate the rear stakes; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are detail views of the stakes and mounting brackets for receiving the side and rear panels respectively on the left rear and right rear of the trailer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, a truck designated generally by reference numeral 10 is adapted for hauling steel and similar loads and includes a tractor l2 and a trailer 14, this combination being sometimes referred to as a semi tractor-trailer. A flatbed 16 of the trailer includes a number of sockets l8 spaced at regular intervals along side 20 and a second series of sockets 22 disposed along side 24 of the trailer 14. Within each of sockets l8 and 22 is a stake 26 having an upper bracket 28 and a lower bracket 30. The upper and lower brackets are identically constructed and each consists of a mounting flange 32 with a mounting opening 34 adapted to receive a screw 36 having a head 38 and a washer 41 to mechanically join bracket 28 and 30 to the upper 39 and lower 40 ends of stake 26.

The mounting flange 32 has two laterally offset pocket flanges 46 and 48 integrally joined to the base flange 32 by stepped flanges 50 and 52 respectively (FIG. 2). Flanges 46, 48 are spaced from the confronting surfaces 56 of stake 26 (FIG. 2) by a predetermined amount so that end 62 of panel 64 can fit slidably therein and is held in an upright position at the upper and lower edges of the panel 64 which is caused to slide into position as indicated in FIG. 1 by holding the panel 64 above the level of the upper end of the stake 26 and then sliding it downwardly in place (FIG. 1).

The panels are all held in place to form a rack forming sides at the lateral edges of the flatbed 16.

The upper bracket 28 has welded thereto a pipe section 68 secured by welds 70, 72. Ends 74, 76 of a bow 78 are passed into pipe sections 68 as indicated in FIG. 4, there being sufficient bearing between each bow-end 74, 76 and pipe section 68 so that the bow is held in the upright position shown in FIG. 1.

A combination of the spaced bows forms a framework for a tarpaulin cover 80 which extends over the bows and laps the outer sides of the rack and is tied in place by strings 84.

An important advantage of the present invention is that any one of the stakes at the righthand side of the flatbed trailer can be used at the lefthand side of the trailer and each stake is interchangeable at any position in the trailer other than at the corners 86 and 88. At the corners 86, 88 are disposed stakes 90, 92 (FIGS. 8, 9). In this case, the wooden stake is the same configuration as the other stakes but there is provided a different bracket 94, 96. Bracket 94 is similar to 96 except that in mounting it is reversed relatively to the stake. As shown in FIG. 8, bracket 94 has a mounting flange 96 bolted or screwed to the stake by means of, for example, a bolt 98 which passes through aligned openings in the flange and stake and is then secured by a nut 100 which is joined to the threaded end 102 of the bolt 98. Flange 96 has a stepped flange 108 and a pocket flange 110 which is spaced sufficiently from the stake 90 to form a pocket adapted to receive the side panel 64 (FIG. 8). An end panel 112 is received within a pocket 114 formed from a U-shaped cross section extension 115 of the flange 96 (FIG. 8) one portion 116 being contiguous with the surface 118 of the stake 90 and the other with the panel 112. A tubular section 130 is received against the transverse flanges 96, 108 and is welded thereto for receiving the ends of the bow in the manner indicated in FIG. 7.

Midway between the sides end of the flatbed at the end thereof (FIG. 7) is a stake 26, the same as the stakes at the sides of the flatbed.

OPERATION In operation, the rack is constructed by first putting the stakes 26 in upright positions along the sides of the flatbed trailer and in the socket 132 at the end of the trailer. The corner stakes 90, 92 are then put in place and the panels 64 are then inserted within the pockets of the brackets by elevating the panels 64 to the position shown in FIG. 1 and dropping them down with the opposite edges of the panels being received within the pockets of the upper and lower brackets. The panels are then held rigidly top and bottom at their opposite edges between successively spaced stakes. Once the side panels 64 are in place, and the corner stakes 90, 92 are located within pockets or sockets 86 and 88, the end panels 112 are then inserted in the same manner as the side panels, being received within the pockets 114 of the end stakes 90 or 92 and the pocket of the stake received within socket 132 (FIG. 1) of the same construction as those located along the side edges of the flatbed trailer. The ends 74, 76 of bows 78 are then positioned with the ends 74, 76 passed into openings of pipe section 74 and the ridge troughs 140 (FIG. 1) are joined together by a cross running line (not shown) to stiffen the bows which serve as a framework. The tarpaulin 80 forms a canopy over the top of the load, the tarpaulin 80 being tied in place by strings or ties 84.

Any one of the panels 64 along the side or end of the trailer can be removed to inspect the load.

In the event that any one of the stakes is damaged it can be individually replaced. Because of the wooden construction of the stakes the construction is inherently inexpensive and easy to fabricate, thereby making the entire rack inherently low in cost and maintenance.

It should be noted that the upper and lower brackets are standard in construction and are therefor subject to mass producibility.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in connection with a few selected example embodiments it will be understood that these are illustrative of the invention and are by no means restrictive thereof. It is reasonably to be expected that those skilled in this art can make numerous revisions and adaptations and it is intended that such revisions and adaptations will be included within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A readily assembleable and disassembleable system for converting the flatbeds of trailers and trucks to low side flatbeds comprising: a plurality of removable stakes each having a mounted end of reduced size, socket means proportioned to receive the reduced size end of said removable stake therein and be vertically supported thereon, said stake including two spaced brackets each having a central portion secured to said stake, the bottom one of said brackets also forming a shoulder portion, flange means laterally offset from said central portion and defining spacings which form pockets at the upper and lower ends of said stake, and panels which are proportioned to fit within said pockets and extend between adjacent stakes to form sidewalls disposed at the edges of the flatbed.

2. A readily assembleable and disassembleable sidewall construction for the flatbed of trailers, trucks and the like, comprising a plurality of removable stakes receivable at one end thereof in spaced sockets within the siderails of the flatbed of said truck or trailer, each such stake having a reduced end to fit snugly within said pocket and having a sufficient bearing to provide a stable upright position of said stake, two spaced brackets each including a flange member adapted to be joined to said stake and having portions which are laterally spaced from the stake to define spacings forming pockets at the upper and lower ends respectively of said stake, the bottom one of said brackets also forming a shoulder portion, and panels having edges which are proportioned to fit within said pockets and extending between adjacent stakes to form sidewalls disposed along the edges of said flatbed truck or trailer.

3. The stake construction in accordance with claim 2 including a plurality of mechanical fasteners which secure said flange member to the upper and lower ends of the stake which is of hard wood construction.

4. The stake construction in accordance with claim 2 including a tubular member permanently secured to said bracket within a recess thereof whereby said tubular member is disposed at the upper end of the stake.

5. The stake construction in accordance with claim 2 including two corner stakes at the rear of the bed of the truck or flatbed trailer and adapted to provide transverse panels one at the side and one at the end of the bed, said stake including a first flanged portion adapted to form a pocket for receiving the side panel and a transverse flanged section adapted to form a pocket for the panel at the end of the bed, said flange sections being formed integrally with each other and including an interconnecting portion which is mechanically secured to said stake. 

1. A readily assembleable and disassembleable system for converting the flatbeds of trailers and trucks to low side flatbeds comprising: a plurality of removable stakes each having a mounted end of reduced size, socket means proportioned to receive the reduced size end of said removable stake therein and be vertically supported thereon, said stake including two spaced brackets each having a central portion secured to said stake, the bottom one of said brackets also forming a shoulder portion, flange means laterally offset from said central portion and defining spacings which form pockets at the upper and lower ends of said stake, and panels which are proportioned to fit within said pockets and extend between adjacent stakes to form sidewalls disposed at the edges of the flatbed.
 2. A readily assembleable and disassembleable sidewall construction for the flatbed of trailers, trucks and the like, comprising a plurality of removable stakes receivable at one end thereof in spaced sockets within the siderails of the flatbed of said truck or trailer, each such stake having a reduced end to fit snugly within said pocket and having a sufficient bearing to provide a stable upright position of said stake, two spaced brackets each including a flange member adapted to be joined to said stake and having portions which are laterally spaced from the stake to define spacings forming pockets at the upper and lower ends respectively of said stake, the bottom one of said brackets also forming a shoulder portion, and panels having edges which are proportioned to fit within said pockets and extending between adjacent stakes to form sidewalls disposed along the edges of said flatbed truck or trailer.
 3. The stake construction in accordance with claim 2 including a plurality of mechanical fasteners which secure said flange member to the upper and lower ends of the stake which is of hard wood construction.
 4. The stake construction in accordance with claim 2 including a tubular member permanently secured to said bracket within a recess thereof whereby said tubular member is disposed at the upper end of the stake.
 5. The stake construction in accordance with claim 2 including two corner stakes at the rear of the bed of the truck or flatbed trailer and adapted to provide transverse panels one at the side and one at the end of the bed, said stake including a first flanged portion adapted to form a pocket for receiving the side panel and a transverse flanged section adapted to form a pocket for the panel at the end of the bed, said flange sections being formed integrally with each other and including an interconnecting portion which is mechanically secured to said stake. 